Outer Limits
by Batman Lamp-Writer
Summary: Vlad's newest plan to get rid of Danny has sent him careening into the far reaches of space. Five hundred years later, Vlad's newest protege has his own plans for Danny involving a ship called Serenity and a certain Captain Reynolds.
1. Prologue

A/N: Okay, really shouldn't be starting new stories, but this and another one were begging. They're both cross-overs, this one with Danny Phantom and Firefly, the other DP and Criminal Minds.

This takes place after Phantom Planet and before Objects in Space (going in TIMELINE ORDER, not out of order like it was aired). Enjoy!

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It had actually been a fairly quiet day. In fact, he'd only been bothered by the Box Ghost, hardly a threat. He was flying—for amusement rather than necessity—when his cell rang.

"Phantom," he answered professionally, praying it wasn't another crazy reporter trying a roundabout way of getting an interview. After all, any reports of ghost attacks were automatically forwarded to his phone, thanks to Tucker's latest law. "State your emergency."

"_Dude, chill,"_ Tucker's voice came over smoothly, _"it's just me."_

Danny sighed. " 'Sup?"

"_Well, I sorta found something you'll wanna see…."_

Now he frowned. "Can't it wait?"

"_It's important."_

He sighed again. There went his free day. "I'll be there in a minute." He hung up, exhaled, and pictured Tucker's office in his head.

He materialized before his friend, surprising him. "Next time you say 'in a minute'," the green-eyed techno-geek gasped, "I'll take it to mean in five seconds!"

"Sorry. Now, what's up?"

"I was searching the radars when this showed up." He pointed at a spot on the screen.

Danny's currently glowing green eyes squinted at it. "Okay, so what is it?"

"Well, this is streaming in from just outside Earth's orbit."

"Okay, _and…?_"

"It's coming in quickly, like an asteroid."

Danny blinked at him. "_Another_ one?" he gaped.

"Either that, or… it's Plasmius."

Danny hesitated a moment, taking that in. "…Oh, _damn_."

"Yeah, The scientists I've asked already say it's too small to be an asteroid."

"_Scheisse, kuso, merda!_ It's Plasmius."

"It seems that way."

"Damn! And just when it started calming down!"

"Well, we still have time to plan—"

"Like that'll do any good! It's _Plasmius_, Tuck! He'll already have five back-up plans to counter anything _we_ come up with!"

"I'm sure we can at least figure out what he's after."

"Uh, duh. Same thing as always. Me, Mom, Dad dead…."

"We don't know that for sure, Danny. It could be something else. I mean, he's been out there for a few months. Maybe he's changed."

"And maybe he'll destroy us all. We won't know until he starts monologuing. Damn, why _now?_"

" 'Cause it's _Vlad_."

Danny laughed once, bitterly.

A siren went off suddenly, and Danny flashed out of sight for a moment. Tuck blinked at where his friend was last. "Uh, dude? Why?"

"Sorry, Mom's been working on this new alarm. It's set up to only attack visible ghosts." Danny flashed back into sight. "What's goin' on?"

"I'm not quite sure…."

A scientist ran into the room, stared blankly at Danny for a moment, then reported to Tucker. "The unknown flying object is headed straight towards us."

"_What?_" both teens screeched.

"ETA two minutes."

The two boys glanced at each other. Tuck shrugged. "So much for planning anything."

Danny glared.

"Sorry. Do what ya gotta, man."

Danny nodded, then took off through the roof to face his arch-nemesis.

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Danny flew out to meet the man on the outer rim of Earth's atmosphere. Luckily, he had learned in the past few months that he didn't need a helmet or air supply in outer space.

Vlad Plasmius slowly came into view. It seemed he had slowed down as soon as he had seen the big, blue planet.

Danny waited anxiously for his older counterpart to stop, debating what he would do if he didn't. He didn't need to worry about that, though, as Vlad finally stopped a few yards before him. "Whaddaya want, Plasmius?" Danny demanded.

The man looked haggard. Not only was his skin covered in scratches, but his clothes were town, as well. "Please, boy, let me to Earth so I can rest." His voice was pleading, the exact opposite of the snarky, prideful tone he'd used the last time Danny saw him.

Danny looked at him, wary. "What do you mean?"

"It's been six months, boy, since I've had any kind of food or sustenance."

"Well, what do you expect _me_ to do about that?"

"Let me land. Let me _eat._"

Danny found himself reluctantly softening to the man. "…Fine. You can land. Follow me."

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When the two landed on City Hall, Tucker and Sam forced the mobs of reporters to leave before glaring up at their friend.

Danny winced. "Sorry, guys."

"Oh, you _will_ be," his girlfriend, Sam Manson, hissed.

"Just… could you get him something to eat?"

Sam stomped off, muttering, "Damn hero complex'll kill us all…!"

Tucker Foley glanced nervously at Danny. "You'd better know what you're doing."

"I do." Danny turned back to Plasmius. "Let's talk."

As Tucker followed Sam's earlier path, Plasmius murmured, "Yes, let's."

"What brings you back to Earth?"

"I have a proposition for you, boy."

"What is it?" The word 'proposition' had set off all the warning bells in Danny's head. He was getting nervous.

"I'm willing to leave you alone, boy."

Danny's eyes narrowed, glowing brighter. "What's the catch?"

"No catch," Vlad said, hands raised, palms out. Then, he smirked vaguely, reminding the boy of his past self. "You just have to wear _this_," he pulled out a steel bracelet, "so I know where you are, and thus how to avoid you."

Danny studied the device. "What all does that thing do?"

Vlad chuckled. "It's just a GPS, boy, don't be so suspicious!"

"Give me one good reason why I should trust you," Danny snarled.

The man slammed the teen into the wall. "Think of it this way, then. If you _don't_ trust me, I _will_ kill your friends and family. No one will suspect me, I'm _stuck_ in _space!_ Everyone will think it was _you_. After all, you _are_ a ghost. You're _destined_ for destruction. They're just _waiting_ for you to _snap_ so they can ship you off to the GIW, where you _belong_. Face it, _boy_, they don't like you. They never did, and _they never __**will**_." He snapped the bracelet onto the boy's wrist. "This is your _only_ choice!"

"_Danny!_" two voices shrieked.

The teen's head spun to the entrance, where Tuck and Sam were staring in shock. Danny's eyes went back to Vlad's, and they shared a look, the former worried and the latter sneering. "No," the teen breathed.

"It's your choice," Vlad whispered. "Agree, or _kill them_."

The teen looked back at his friends. Sam was sobbing. He locked eyes with Tucker, mouthing, 'I'm sorry.'

Vlad pulled Danny's head back around. "_Good choice_." He pulled out another steel band and snapped it harshly onto the boy's bicep. "A brother noble, /Whose nature is so far from doing harms, /That he suspects none: on whose foolish honesty /My practises ride easy! I see the business." The man smirked down at the spasming teen. "See you in a few centuries, _son_."

As Sam and Tuck screamed his name one more time, Danny disappeared.

Vlad turned to them, smirking. "Let me, if not by birth, have lands by wit: /All with me's meet that I can fashion fit." He breathed deeply, relishing in his victory before leering at them. "Now, I believe I have a town to reclaim…."

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Danny rematerialized into being in the deep expanses of space. As he looked around, he discovered he didn't even recognize the stars and planets he saw. He screamed, blasted, and Ghostly-Wailed until he ran out of energy. Then, he let gravity pull him down to the closest planet, destined to wait there until Vlad ever decided to track him down.

It was going to be a long few hundred years….

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A/N: So, Vlad totally seems like an Edmund (for those of you into Shakespeare, the lines underlined above are from King Lear). Anywayz, here on out begins the crazy involved in Firefly and all its western/Chinese mixing-ness!

Yay! Byez, y'all!


	2. Chapter 1

A/N: So, it's been a while, but in honor of DP Angst Day (insert squealing here) I present you with the next chapter of Outer Limits!

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The teen eyed the apple in his hand as he held his stomach with the other. He glanced down from apple to hand, pulling it away from the bloody wound and wincing.

He returned his gaze to the apple, asking, "Were you really worth it?" Then, he sighed, receiving no answer, and bit into the fruit. He had to admit, it tasted _much_ better than the colored protein he'd gotten used to on his old world. It seemed… calmer here, and the food was real, tastier.

The teen sighed again, pushing off from the wall he'd been sitting on. A pain in his left bicep caused him to hiss and pause.

"Dammit," he whispered, "what now?"

A girl materialized before him. "Chillax, dipstick," she grinned, rolling her green eyes, "I'm not here on business." She hummed a tune, swiping her hand against her thigh.

"Then why _are_ you here?"

"Can't I just hang wit' ya?"

He rolled his blue eyes. "Not if ya keep talkin' like that. It's the twenty-sixth century."

"Oh, I'm sorry. Lemme go grab my cowboy hat and my best Chinese dress."

"Ember…." the teen groaned.

Ember McLain laughed. "Danny, you need to _relax!_ Vlad's not on your case at the moment, so why not enjoy life some?"

"Whaddaya _think_ I was doin'?" He nodded at the apple.

"Yeah, asking the poor thing whether it was worth stealing."

"You _heard_ that?"

"Y'know that kinda stuff just kills a young apple's self-esteem!"

"'Cause we all know how much you care about 'young apples'' self-esteems."

She shrugged. "C'mon, Dan, it's been a couple hundred years since…everything. You can allow yourself a few days' time of relaxation. _Cool down_."

"Easier said than done, Em."

"The least you can do is _try_."

"Mm. Maybe."

The two walked along the road, weaving in and out of the small crowds. Vibrant orange-and-black hair swinging from a long ponytail behind her, the girl giggled and danced around a bit. "So…I win?"

"This round."

"_Yes!_"

"_Stop! Thief!_"

The boy froze at the voice.

Ember looked at him, confused. Danny? C'mon, this isn't funny. You're actin' real suspicious." She poked him in the shoulder. "Danny?"

"_Thief!_ Someone, _help!_"

Something sparked in the teen. He shot off down the street towards the crying vendor, leaving a worried Ember behind.

He pulled to a stop, asking the older woman, "What happened? What'd they look like?"

The woman scoffed. "Like _you'll_ be any help! More likely _you're_ part of the whole scheme!" The woman grabbed the boy's arm, squeezing harshly and dragging him from the center of attention. "Well, aren't you, boy? Just here as a distraction so they can get away?"

"Is this how you treat _everyone_ who tries to help you?" he snarled.

She laughed bitterly. "Care a lot about you, now, don't they? Just leave you behind as damage control, huh? Most difficult job and whaddaya get for it, huh, boy? Nuthin'. You ain't getting' a _gorram_ thing! Not if I have any say. I don't care if you're just a ruttin' kid, if you were any part of that thievin' ring—!"

"I'm _not_ just some _gorram_ kid! I have a name, and I didn't steal a ruttin' thing from you! Though it probably wouldn't be that difficult, seein' how you'll just choose the first person ya see as the culprit. Heh, not that I'd _want_ any of this _go-se_."

"_Shemma?!?_ What did you call my merchandise?"

"_Go-se_," he spat.

"That's it! I'm gonna make sure you never see the light a day again, boy! You're gonna be locked in prison so long, your parents'll forget you."

He grimaced. "Trust me, they already have."

But the woman wasn't listening. Instead, she had hailed an officer the boy know all too well. "Sir, arrest this boy!"

The man turned around, barely giving her a glance from behind his dark sunglasses. He looked to the boy and sighed. "What charges?"

"Thievery."

The officer turned to the boy. "You steal anythin' from this woman?"

"No."

"Alright, then." He looked back at the woman. "You can go now."

She huffed but left.

The boy sighed in relief. "_Xie-xie_, Walker."

"I can't keep doing this for ya, Danny."

"_Jrdaule._ Sorry."

Now, Walker sighed. "If I didn't know you, kid, I'd almost have to call you _ni_."

"_Thanks_, Walker." The teen rolled his eyes.

"_Behave_. I can't hear any more about you gettin' into mischief again. _Dong ma?_"

"Sure, sure."

"_Pichi, hwai dungsyi._"

"Don't worry over me, Walker, I'll be fine."

"Remember, I hear one more thing—"

"And I get a thousand years, I get it."

"Watch out for yourself."

Danny grinned weakly. "_Shemma bende ren? Mei gwansyi._" He ran to find Ember again, leaving Walker to shake his head.

"Attitude like that, the next time I see you you'll already be dead…."

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Ember chuckled. "Man, Dan, you sure know how to piss off Walker!"

"All I said was it doesn't matter if I take care of myself or not." He ran a hand through his black hair, violet and orange streaks sliding through his fingers.

The girl sighed. "This is why Walker always says you'll kill yourself."

"I usually don't have a say in the matter," Danny grumbled, raising his right wrist and pointing at the cuffs on it and his opposite bicep.

"Oh, Dan…."

"He's already given me orders. I'm to find some… Niska guy. He'll tell me what I'm to do."

Ember blinked. "…Niska? You have to work for _Niska?_"

"Yeah." He exhaled sharply. "Before you even _begin_ your tirade, yes, I know about Niska."

"And you're still goin'?"

"I have no choice thanks to these _gorram_ cuffs." He blew a piece of hair from his face. "Vlad'll know if I don't obey. He'll kill me."

"_Niska_ will kill you! Danny, you've heard the stories. He killed his wife's _nephew_ for screwin' up a job!"

"It's a chance I have to take."

She grabbed his shoulder. "I don't wanna hear about you dyin'. You can't give up on me, Dan. Not now, not after so long."

His eyes turned hard. "There's no reason for me to live. My family's long gone, my friends are dead. No one remembers me. No one will miss me."

"I will."

He chuckled, barely smiling at her. "Well, that's one." He pulled her into a quick hug. "I'll miss you, too. I'd better be hearin' some old-fashioned rock from ya when I get back!"

For a split second, her disguise fell. Glowing eyes winked and flaming hair grew as she strummed a few notes. Then, the image was gone. She laughed, mock saluting. "Sir, yes, sir!"

He grinned, then ran off.

She dropped her hand, sighing. "Stay safe."

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Malcolm Reynolds—Mal—looked up and down the ship. It was Firefly class, old and ragged, but she still flew. "Almost ready to go, Kaylee?" he demanded of his mechanic.

"Almost, Cap'n," Kaylee responded, smiling as usual. "Just a day or two of work left."

"_Wo zai qianshi yiding redao shenme ren le ba!_ A day or two?"

"Sorry, Cap'n. I'm workin' on her, though. That last job almost did her in."

"Kaylee…."

"_Serenity_'ll be up an' runnin' soon enough."

"Soon enough better be yesterday."

"Yes, sir." She spun on her heel, brown hair fanning out behind her.

Mal turned instead to the black-haired, blue-eyed man beside him. "Jayne, go with Zoe and see if you two can find some work for us."

The man, Jayne Cobb, grumbled but obeyed. He moved off, a dark-skinned woman following behind him.

Mal sighed, running a hand through his brown hair.

A long-black-haired girl moved into a spot next to him. She glanced about, then looked up at Mal. "It won't move."

Mal huffed. "I don't have time to figure out your gobble-de-gook, River. Go find your brother."

"Simon said to stay outside while I could."

"Well, make sure to stay outta the way."

She nodded vaguely, then walked away. As Mal murmured something less-than-nice about the ship's engine, River stumbled into town, combat boots clunking.

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Not too far away, Danny was locked to a chair, cursing Vlad for unfusing magnets into the steel bands on his arms. The balding, wrinkled, spectacled man before him was chuckling.

"Vlad has told you of me, yes?" He spoke with a strong Russian accent.

Danny glared.

The man nodded to someone behind Danny, who tensed as electricity poured into the chair, through the bands, and into his veins. He ground his teeth together until it stopped.

The man knelt down to Danny's eye level. "Vlad has told you of me?"

"Yes," Danny ground out, "of _course_ he spoke of you. You're his protégé, Niska."

Adelei Niska chuckled. "He spoke of you to me, as well. He said you should've been protégé, too."

"Well, people don't always get what they want."

"He told me you've been out in the worlds for longer than even him. Is true?"

"Of course. He sent me out here."

"How long?"

Danny's eyes turned cold. "Five hundred years."

Niska blinked. Then, he recovered and laughed. "My, my, you _are_ worlds' first traveler!" His mood sombered. "Now, I have job for you. Things go solid, I see what I can do about those…annoyances Vlad give you." He eyed the steel bands. "Things not go solid, it's not Vlad you worry about." He nodded once more to the person behind Danny, and the electricity poured through the teen again. "_Dong ma?_"

Danny groaned out an "Understood."

"Alright. My job for you. Infiltrate a ship. Simple, no?"

"Depends on the ship."

"See, Vlad said you're smart. Ship is Firefly class. _Serenity_. Captain Reynolds. Find ship. Find captain. Kill him."

Danny coughed in shock. "Vlad may not have told you, but I'm _not_ a _mercenary!_"

"_Jrdaule_. That is why I give you options. Kill Malcolm Reynolds, or bring the ship here so I can do job. In return, I rid you of those cuffs. Burn them off, perhaps?" He smirked, eerily alike to Vlad. "You take job?"

Danny knew what would happen to him if he didn't say yes. "…I'll take it."

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River wandered the town, alone for once. Easily amused, she watched the people as they moved about. One boy in particular caught her interest.

He walked with a limp and carried his left arm close to his body. Unlike most of the men on the streets, he went sleeveless, causing two silver bands to catch and throw the sunlight in strange patterns.

River found herself following the boy, hoping to figure out what the shiny bands were.

However, the boy seemed to notice her. Suddenly, he went from just walking to weaving through the people. He moved with ease, much like River herself could.

Rather than become discouraged, River chased after the boy with determination. The boy, too, sped up, trying hard to leave her behind.

Soon, both were shoving past people and causing a ruckus. River remembered Mal's order to stay out of the way, but just as she debated turning around, the boy stopped and spun to face her.

"Whaddaya want?" he snarled.

"Your bands. They're shiny," River said with all the innocence brought about by the damage done to her brain.

The boy looked at her, incredulous. "You chase me halfway across town because my _gorram_ bands are _shiny?_"

The girl nodded. "May I see them?" She held out a hand.

The boy bit his lip. "They don't come off."

She grabbed his right hand, examining his wrist. "The technology is ancient, but they haven't aged. How do you keep them in such condition?"

"I don't. They just stay that way."

She blinked at him. "Why do you wear them if you don't like them?"

"I didn't have a choice."

"…Do you like it here?"

"_Shemma?_"

"I didn't like where I was. My brother saved me."

"Lucky you," the boy grumbled, rolling his blue eyes.

"Can I save you?"

The boy paused, surprised.

River's wide blue eyes pleaded with him. They held the innocence and sincerity of a child.

He rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "I—I dunno. I mean, I have a job, but…I really don't wanna…do it."

"You don't have to stay. Just come with us to the next world. You can leave then." She rubbed a hand along the band, and the boy shivered as though he'd been touched. "Let me save you."

"…Alright. But I'm _gone_ come the next world."

River grinned. "You can come aboard like I did."

"Hm?"

"We'll play hide and seek. You hide, and I'll find you when we've taken off."

The boy chuckled. "You sure are a strange girl."

"River."

He half-smiled. "Danny."

"C'mon, Danny, you'll love _Serenity!_"

The boy blinked, then grinned. "_Serenity_, huh…?"

He allowed himself to be dragged away.

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A/N: So I hope to get character redesigns posted on deviantart soon for Danny and Ember. They were fun to draw. If anyone has any questions on the Firefly parts or something, let me know, and I'll answer them the best I can without giving up the plot!HH


	3. Chapter 2

A/N: ADD is kicking in over-time in college, causing me to be spastically coming up with new plot lines. I'm running out of notebooks…! T.T But here's an update of a story I've already posted, soon to be followed by a couple I haven't. -.-'

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Danny was surprised. He'd heard how many hiding places a Firefly had, but he'd never really used them. In fact, the only other time he'd been on a Firefly before, he ended up in much worse condition than he'd been in when he boarded.

Still, he made sure to keep quiet. River seemed nice enough, but he'd seen the notices for her and her brother, Simon. After all, the Tams were wanted fugitives. Not that he _wasn't_, but….

Something moved. Danny froze, surprised. He moved away from the entrance as much as he could, worried it could be one of the crew and not River. There was another loud clunk. Panicked, Danny's form flickered.

A curse flew through his mind as he stared at his hands. He couldn't go invisible! "_Gorrammit,_" he hissed.

"I'll say."

He yelped, spinning to face the voice.

Ember laughed. "Sorry, dipstick, you're just too easy to scare when you're all tense-like."

"Ember, next time you decide to give me a heart attack, make sure it'll kill me."

"Death wasn't exactly the plan, sir. 'Sides, you've already lived five hundred years, I don't think you _can_ die."

"And heart attack wasn't mine, I can assure you," he sighed, ignoring the second part of her explanation. "Whaddaya want?"

"In on Niska's orders."

"_Shhh!_" Danny covered her mouth. "No names. My mark's on board."

"Really? Who ya stealin' from this time?"

He winced, annoyed to be reminded of what Vlad's jobs normally were. "Cap'n. And I'm _not_ stealin' this time."

"Oh? Then what is it?"

"Apprehend or kill."

Ember blinked at him. "_Chiao-bao hoe-tze duh ching-wah tsao duh liou mahng!_" she hissed. "That guy's a freak!"

"_Shi._ So…where's that old-fashioned rock I was promised?"

She smirked. "Thought the idea was to be subtle?"

"Yeah, well, that don't mean I don't wanna hear some music!"

"You can wait 'til _after_ the crew finds out you're here."

"_Xie-xie_, Ember, for making me out to be an incapable clod."

"You're welcome." She grinned. "So, am I in?"

"_Apprehend or kill?_"

"_E_, I know you, Danny. You're not gonna kill _anyone_. I'm in."

"You're out. I'm not pullin' you into… _his_ business if I don't have to."

Ember frowned, moving away. "Well, see how much you _won't need me_ when your powers _fully_ disappear."

"Why _would_ I need you? So you could suicide to save me, too?"

Ember grimaced. "Danny, that was _her_, not me!"

"_Bi zui!_ You _let_ her, you didn't stop her, even though I told you to!"

"Danny, she'd made up her mind. There was no way anything I or you said could change that!"

"You could have _tried!_"

Ember glared at him. "Fine, then. I'll leave, and when you need me, you'll be sorry." She vanished.

He sighed, knowing she was right. Then he froze as voices could be heard from just outside.

"What're you doin' down here, River?" a voice demanded.

Danny got nervous. Someone else was there!

"Hide-and-seek. Simon's playing with me," River replied. "Shh! I need to hide from him!"

"River, what—?"

"You'll give away my position! The enemy will find me! Shoo!"

Footsteps echoed away, and Danny could imagine the man shaking his head.

"You're down here, right? You found a shiny hiding spot?"

"Shh," Danny called, "I'm hiding!"

River giggled as she opened up the panel he was hiding behind. She crawled in beside him, glancing around. "Oh, this _is_ a shiny spot! I'll have to remember it next time Simon and I have to play!"

"_Have_ to play?"

She nodded. "The captain doesn't want anyone to know we're on board, so he makes us play hide-and-seek. We always have to hide together, and we always get found." She frowned. "Either Simon's bad luck, or the captain cheats. I _always_ win against Simon." She looked over the hiding spot again. "Mm, _shi_…. Simon's bad luck."

Danny chuckled, and she grinned. "You can come out now, if you'd like. We're in the air now, so the only one who'll throw you out would be Jayne. And maybe Zoe or Mal. So if you're going out, be sneaky." She stood to leave. "Oh, and please let me know before you attempt to escape."

As he blinked in shock, she spun and practically skipped up the stairs.

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Sneaking around had been so much easier five hundred years ago when his powers weren't tearing him apart from the inside out. Now he had to resort to human methods—tip-toeing, checking corners with a mirror he stole—as any extended use of his powers caused him serious problems. If he used them even for a short time, he would be quickly exhausted.

He knew why, too. The _gorram_ bands Vlad had forced on him had reduced his DNA to the same instability as the clones Vlad had made so long ago. If he ever forgot about the draining the bands caused, he would end up like—

Danny shook his head. He wasn't going to think about that. No, he needed to get food, and fast. He didn't want to run into anyone.

As he dug through the cabinets in the kitchen, a man came down to get some food of his own. A giant gun was in his hand, he messing with the safety. When he saw the person rummaging, he snarled, "That better _not_ be you _again_, River."

Danny jumped at the noise, hitting his head on a shelf. "_Go-se_," he muttered.

There was the sound of something charging up as a cool piece of metal was shoved into the back of Danny's head. "Get up and turn around," a low voice growled.

Danny recognized the feel of the gun pressing into him. "Is that a Callahan full-bore auto lock? With customized trigger and double cartridge thorough gauge?"

"Her name's Vera, yeah. Who are you and how'd you know that?"

"No one of importance."

"That's only one answer."

"I know 'cause I've had more than one 'Vera' shoved into my head before."

"Turn around." This was accompanied by another shove.

Danny sighed, spun, stared at the black-haired, blue-eyed man before him. The gun lowered from his forehead as the man took him in.

"The _guay_…. _You're a __**gorram**__ kid?!?_"

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A/N: Yay crazy/normal!River and the true intro of Jayne (Vera and all!) Oh the fun that shall ensue…! Read and Review, please!


	4. Chapter 3

A/N: Hi…. So it's been over a year, but here's some more…. And I switched this into the cross-over section, yay. Anywayz, hoping I get back into writing this/get past my writer's block. In the meantime, enjoy this chapter and (SHAMELESSPLUG) check out some of my other fics!

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Jayne Cobb dragged the boy through the ship, making as much noise as he could so everyone on board knew where he was headed. Sure enough, by the time he had pulled the kid all the way back to the cargo hold he had originally hid in, the whole crew had assembled.

"What are we doin' out here at God-knows-when in the mornin', Jayne?" Mal snarled.

Jayne threw the boy down in front of them. "This little _hwoon dahn_ snuck on! He aimed a kick at the poor kid, who just barely rolled away.

"Leave him alone!" River shouted. She moved forward and helped the boy up. Then, she turned to look back at the shocked group. "He's shiny." She grinned, head tilted over her shoulder, at him.

The same chilling feeling he'd felt when she spoke to him earlier rushed over him. He was just beginning to realize exactly how strange she was.

"Why is he here, River?" the captain demanded.

"I just said. He's _shiny._ He's _staying._"

"That's, uh, not a very good reason, River," a brown-haired young man stammered. He was dressed a lot nicer than the rest of the crew.

"It's logical, and reason enough, Simon," River snapped. "Danny is staying, that's final." She turned to him one more time. "C'mon."

He was dragged away once more.

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Once they were fairly far away, River let him go, angrily shoving him. "You weren't supposed to get caught."

"Yeah, well, I wasn't planning on it, either!"

"And by traitor-Jayne, too."

"I'm _so_ sorry he pointed a _gun_ at my _head!_"

"And to think, I _defended_ you!"

He blinked. "What's that gotta do with this?"

Brown eyes glared at him, and he unconsciously shrinked back. "I know why you agreed to come on. I know who you're working for."

Danny's eyes widened. "Wh—What?"

"You're _Niska's_."

He looked away.

She backhanded him so his face was back on her. "I don't know what it is he wants you to do, but know that I will stop you from going through with it!"

"My kinda girl!" a new voice called.

The two spun to face Ember. She smirked. "Good for you, River. But you should know at least what his job _is_."

Danny glared at her. "You _wouldn't_."

She rolled her eyes. "Oh, wouldn't I? Niska wants Reynolds, dead or alive. It's Danny's job to get him to Niska's Skyplex."

River's wide eyes looked back to Danny. "You're gonna give up the captain?"

He couldn't lift his eyes from the ground. "I have no choice."

"Of _course_ you do!" River exclaimed. "We can keep you here! We're too fast for Niska!"

"Yeah… that'd be a great plan and all, except for the back-up plan."

River's brow furrowed. "The… what?"

"Niska's—well, _Vlad's_, really—back-up plan. Y'know those 'shiny' bands I wear?"

"Yeah…?"

"They're programmed to torture or kill me if I don't obey Vlad and Niska. I have no choice."

River thought it over, then smirked. "You _might._"

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"Kaylee?"

The brown-haired young woman jumped. "R—River! W—What're you doin'—?"

"I need your help. Well, really Danny needs your help, but…. Please?"

Kaylee bit her lip. "I dunno, River. It depends."

"On what?"

"On what it is he _needs_."

River blinked her wide eyes at Kaylee. "I can show you."

"Wha—?"

"C'mon." She pulled Kaylee away.

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"Danny, I found a way to get around the back-up plan!" River called happily.

Kaylee gave her a strange look.

"Danny—"

River and Kaylee gaped in the doorway, shocked at the sight. Kaylee spun and took a few steps away from the door, screaming, "_Simon!_ We need help in here!"

River's head tilted to one side as she looked at the spasming boy, flexing her hands in sync with him. "Twitch," she muttered, "twitch, twitch…."

Simon rushed into the room, dropping down next to the boy. He rolled up his sleeves and glanced at the two girls. "What happened?"

Kaylee shook her head. "I—I don't know. River asked me to help him, but she didn't say with what."

"Twitch, twitch…."

"River," Simon said carefully, "was this why you wanted Kaylee to help?"

"No…. He's twitching, Simon."

"I see that, River. Do you know why?"

"…His bands are shiny…."

Simon blinked at her. "I can _see_ that, River, but what's _wrong_ with him?"

"You never think past the obvious, Simon," she snapped. "His bands are _shining!_"

Kaylee and Simon glanced down at the boy, Simon reaching towards the glowing bands on the boy's arms.

"_Don't!_" River and Kaylee cried.

"Those blue sparks are _electricity!_" Kaylee continued, pulling Simon's arm away from the teen.

"Wha—?"

"Those _gorram_ bands are killing him!" Kaylee breathed.

"_Do_ something, Simon."

He nodded, pulling up his sleeves a bit more. "River, get more help. Kaylee, grab whatever you can from the med ward. I need to find a way to move him."

The two women took off, and Simon glanced back at the boy again. His spasming was slowing, and the blue glow had disappeared from the bands.

Simon sighed. "You're going to be just as much trouble as River, aren't you…?"

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'_You, boy, are __**mine.**__ You __**belong**__ to me, and, as such, you __**will**__ do as I say._

'_And I say, __**kill Reynolds.**__'_

Danny gasped as he sat up, panting and grabbing for the two bands. He pulled harshly at the one on his bicep, only causing a few left over sparks to zap his hand. Upon further inspection, he found electric burns surrounding the two bands.

"I'd be careful about touching those just yet."

The teen jumped, startled. He spun to face a brown-haired young man sitting on one of the counters. The man grinned weakly. "They're still slightly charged."

Danny scowled. "Yeah, well, they almost always are."

"Really? But, why?"

He shrugged. "Just are."

"Where'd you get them? Or, who gave them to you?"

"Old friend of the family," Danny grumbled.

The man's eyebrow rose. "Not much of a friend."

"Yeah, tell that to my _parents._"

River and Kaylee came back in, gaping to see Danny awake.

"Oh, good, you're back," Simon said. "Help me get him up."

As they moved the still-shaking teen, Kaylee looked to River. "That reminds me, what was it you wanted help with?"

"Danny's bands, they hurt," River stated innocently.

"Well, obviously, but why did you two need help?"

"Danny told me his bands hurt him from time to time. I told him you could fix them. When we came back, they hurt him."

"They _always_ hurt," he grumbled, "but sometimes it's worse."

"He wants them off."

"So, you were gonna ask me," Kaylee said, blinking.

River tilted her head. "You make the ship feel better. You can do that for Danny."

"_Meimei_, there's a difference between ships and people…." Simon tried.

River stared at him. "But she needs to get rid of the shiny bands."

Kaylee saw Simon was going to protest and interrupted. "I'll—I'll see what I can do, River, but I'm gonna have to work with Danny and probably Simon on this."

River thought that over, nodded. "Okay." She turned to Danny, saying, "But I reserve full rights to tell them to stop working on it if you fall." With that, she practically skipped away, leaving behind a confused Kaylee and Simon and a nervous Danny.

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A/N: whew. Okay, there's that done. I seriously needa get this one finished, I miss this plot line. Damn you, writer's block! -.-'

Read and Review, please!


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